


We never lose our demons

by eliotandq



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Aunt Natasha Romanov, Civil War (Marvel), F/M, Father-Son Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, Mentioned Bruce Banner - Freeform, Natasha Romanov & Tony Stark Friendship, Natasha Romanov Is Not A Robot, Parent Pepper Potts, Parent Tony Stark, Pepper Potts Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Peter Parker is Tony Stark's Biological Child, Protective Peter Parker, Uncle James "Rhodey" Rhodes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-09
Updated: 2019-09-15
Packaged: 2020-10-13 07:09:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20578523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eliotandq/pseuds/eliotandq
Summary: After Ultron's fiasco, things seemed to return to normal. So how normal they can be when your father is an Iron man. Peter should have known it wouldn't stay that long. After being bitten by the radioactive spider, things went pretty bad again. Pepper went to meetings outside the city suspiciously often and General Thaddeus Ross harassed his father.So, he shouldn't be surprised when the Avengers were facing each other in battle.





	1. Before Germany

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know why, but Captain America has never been my favorite and it is time to deal with the Civil War. And of course Peter & Pepper scenes, otherwise it is not possible. And for bonus Tony & Nat friendship. Love you all <3
> 
> So far I plan 3 parts, but maybe I'll enlarge on and there will be more. I will be glad for opinions!

Peter sat in Uncle Bruce's lab, thinking about his webs. He had all his new powers under control now and decided he wanted to use it and help people. Like his father, or his aunt and uncles. He had a very long conversation with his father, who eventually agreed to his surprise, but on condition that it would be under his control. And that was fine with him. After all, he was fifteen. He wasn't ready to face the things his dad normally faced. Not yet.

"Hey Underoos, what are you doing here?"

"I'm working on my webs. Uncle Bruce's lab has better conditions than yours. You know, because he's a nuclear physicist, and you're a mechanic and an engineer," he replied, looking up from his notes. His father had looked very tired these days and he was worried about him. "How was MIT?" he asked.

"Nah, boring. I missed you there," he said, holding out his hand to tousle his curls.

"It was two days, Dad," he grinned.

"So what? I'm not allowed to miss my son?"

"Well, I missed you, too. But do you know who I also miss?"

"I don't know, buddy. Why don't you tell me on the way to the kitchen? I stopped for pizza on the way home."

"I don't want to be rude, but is everything okay with Pep and you?" he murmured his question as they left the lab.

"Yeah, why would something be wrong?"

"I don't know, it seems to me that I haven't seen her for years. She's still gone and you never call each other as you always do."

"Okay, two things. First, Pepper and I take a little break-"

"What? You're kidding, right?" Peter interrupted.

"No, and don't interrupt me. We just need a little time to settle a few things. Second, I have to go upstate, so you are going to Pepper. She missed you too, so it's okay. She's got some meetings here in town, but she'll be with you otherwise."

"I'm so confused right now. Why would you need to take a break? Everything was fine. I mean, unless you did something like when you invited the terrorists to our house in Malibu. What did you do?"

"That hurts, kid. So little confidence in your own father. It's surprising, but this time I didn't do anything. It was a mutual agreement."

"Yeah, that's hard, dad. Don't take it personally, but you look awful in the last few days. I know that you are also missing her and I doubt that you would agree with something like that."

"Could we please stop discussing my relationship? You are going to Pepper for a few days, so it's a win for you. Deal with it. I can't control her for Christ's sake. If she wants from us, I mean from me, take a break so she gets it," he snapped, and Peter understood he had crossed the line. Not that they wouldn't normally discuss such a thing, but there was a lot to do with his father now, and instead of comfort, he brought him more pain by trying to discuss it.

"Why can't I come with you?" he asked as he changed the subject from Pepper.

"The Avengers will be there and I have to take that annoying Ross with me."

"Oh, okay. Will you call me?" he asked. Normally he would have argued with him that he could still go, but he really wasn't right now. His father didn't need to worry about anyone finding out that he existed at the moment. He was glad to be in the same building as the Avengers. The thing was that only a few people knew about him, and he liked to approach the building so he wouldn't be spotted. Just like aunt Nat had taught him. Exactly three people of the Avengers, knew about him unless he counted his father. The first was his uncle Rhodey, who knew him from the very beginning because he was his father's best friend. The second was Natasha Romanov. She was sent to watch his father when he was seven. Until then, only Pepper was in his life. He knew Pepper wasn't his mother, but she wasn't his aunt either, she was more. And Peter really wanted his aunt, so he started calling Nat aunt. So Natasha Romanov became an aunt to him. The third and last is Bruce Banner. After the attack on New York, he and his father became brothers in science. Peter spent a lot of time with them in the lab, and Bruce quickly became Uncle Bruce. That was it.  


"I always call, Underoos, you know that."

"I know, I just wanted to make sure. Do me a favor and stick to Aunt Nat. She can tame you," he said with a small smile.

"I don't know if this will be the case when we hang out together, but I'll see what we can do. Happy is down, he'll take you to Pepper. I guess we talked out our time for the pizza, but don't worry, Pepper certainly made you a feast as I know her."

"Just be careful," he murmured, giving his dad a quick hug before he left for his backpack and disappeared into the elevator.

As he got into the car, he wondered why his life could not be at least normal for a while. Before his parents (yes, his parents) decided to take a nonsense break, he had such a minor accident. His dad was away at the meeting and he was alone with Pepper. And maybe or maybe not, the word 'mom' slipped out of his mouth. He immediately apologized, but Pepper just smiled at it and kissed his forehead. Then she told him that if he wanted to call her mom, it would be an honor for her. They agreed to tell Tony when the three of them were together. They couldn't wait to see his expression as Peter calls Pepper his mom. The problem was that this moment did not happen because they decided to take a break.  


"We're here, Pete," Happy said as soon as he parked.

"Thank you, Hap."

"Do you want to help with your things?"

"All right, I have super strength, remember? Besides, I only have a backpack, so it really is not necessary. See you," he said goodbye and got out of the car.

Pepper lived in one of those luxury penthouses. He was not so different from what they had and was very close to the Stark Tower. Peter had the keys, so he simply unlocked and as soon as the door closed behind him was greeted by a hug.  


"Hi, Pep," he greeted her, returning a hug.

"Oh, we're back at Pepper, aren't we?" she asked provocatively.

"Well, you tell me," he murmured, pulling away from her.

"What does it mean?" she asked, glancing at him.

"You know very well what that means," he snapped, and Pepper frowned at him.

"You're not going to talk to me in this tone, boy," she said in a firm voice.

"I'm sorry. It's just that Dad told me about your pause about an hour ago and I still don't get it."

"It's simple, honey, we just need a little time for ourselves. With everything that's happening now," she explained, and Peter frowned.

"But that makes no sense at all! Shouldn't you work it out together?"

"It's not that simple, Pete. We both have a lot of work to do and often it leads us to the other side of the world. It doesn't change our feelings, okay? There's just a lot now," she sighed.

"So it will soon be the same?"

"Of course, this is just a small stop. Before you know I will tackle you in bed at Stark Tower again," she said with a smile.

"I'm not five anymore," he grinned.

"You keep saying that to yourself," she said, and kissed his cheek (because after fifteen years she couldn't stand how adorable he looked) and went to the kitchen.

"So, dad said something about you preparing a lot of food for me," he said as he followed her into the kitchen.

"Well, somebody has to make sure you eat proper food and not just pizza."

"No way! Lasagne is my favorite!" he yelled as he reached the kitchen and saw what the food had been cooked.

"I know, Pete, that's why I cooked them. And I made a salad that you eat without debate."

"No problem here, mom," he said as soon as he started to eat.

(...)

Tony got out of the car and headed straight into the building, leaving Ross behind him.  


"You took your time," Nat greeted him as he entered.

"Not really me, that idiot Ross was holding back."

"Do we know what we're facing?" she asked as they headed toward the conference room.

"The consequences of our actions, nothing else," he murmured.

"You can't take it that way."

"I know, but it's hard. We saved the world, it's obvious they won't all survive, but it doesn't stop people from blaming us."

"You know what people are."

"But what if we're really guilty? What happened at Lagos was an accident. I understand that. But it was an accident that killed people and we will bear the consequences. Whether we like it or not."

"Do you know what he's planning?"

"No, but it's not hard to guess. Ross likes things under control."

"And we're not," Natasha murmured in understanding.

"No, we're not. Peter told me to hold on to you, so I'd like to welcome you on my side."

"Did he now? A smart boy, but you know that if the parties begin to form it will turn out badly, right?"

"I hope they won't. Just convince Steve. You're buddies now, right?" he smirked.

"Oh, you wouldn't be jealous, Tones."

"Please, the only one who rivals me is Clint."

"Sorry, but you know Clint always comes first," she teased.  


"For now."

"How's Peter?"

"Probably fine. It's not the best time now. Pepper took a break from me, I have to deal with this and Pete has to deal with his new abilities."

"Maybe I could come to visit when we're done here," Nat offered, and Tony gave her a small smile.

"That would be great. You know, he will never refuse Aunt Nat's visit."  


"Tony, this is really bad, we all know it, but you know it can't be solved as smoothly as we want, right?" she asked, stopping in front of the door leading to the conference room.

"Yeah, something tells me that the Captain moral will be trouble," he sighed.

"You can't be surprised."

"I can not? People come to me for killing their children, Nat! And you know what I can think of? What if this happened to Peter? What if he remained in the Tower during the attack on New York? What if he was in the building Wanda had blown up?!"  


"Okay, you're getting lost now. What would Peter do in Lagos?"

"No point! It might have happened in Queens. Let's face it, we need someone to guide us."

"I get it, Tony, but you have to understand that this is not the ideal solution. Ross, really? Do you want to put us in his hands? You don't even like him."  


"I'm just so tired, Nat. Maybe I'll stop and be better for Pepper and Peter," he said, rubbing his eyes.

"Oh, that's bullshit and you know it. You can't stop. Once you start doing what we do, you won't stop until you die."  


"Well, it's not the future I like. And never say that in front of Pete."

"Let's get in there," she said, opening the door.

"Sorry for the delay, our favorite friend Ross was holding back," Tony said as he entered the room.

"And where is he?" Steve asked as Tony sat in the corner.

"You see, I let him wait outside, so maybe someone should have come for him," he grinned.  


"I'm glad you're so worried about me, Mr. Stark, but as you can see I let myself in," Thaddeus Ross said as he entered the room.

Tony rubbed his eyes again, trying to concentrate on what the old man was saying. This will be pretty long.  



	2. After Germany

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Germany has happened. Now was the time to deal with the consequences.

Natasha watched Tony for a while before she dared to join him. She warned him that it wouldn't go as smoothly as they wanted, but to tell the truth, she didn't expect that. Once again they got out of control, and this time it hit their own people.

"How is he?" she asked as she leaned against the railing beside him.

"He's in surgery. He has a spinal cord injured so he won't walk anymore," he snapped, running a hand through his hair.

"Can you fix it?" she asked, swallowing hard. She didn't know what her friend was feeling about her now.

"If I can fix it? I'm not a doctor! I'm a fucking mechanic."

"That's exactly what I'm talking about."

"I don't know if I can fix it, but you can be sure I'll do everything I can to get Rhodey back on his feet."

"Good."

"What the hell happened, Natasha?!" he asked, finally giving her a look.

"I don't expect you to understand, but I let him go," she said, her head upright as always. She felt really awful right now, but she left nobody to know. After all, she had her pride.

"It was supposed to go smoothly. We should only have taken to Ross. Instead, one of us was hurt, really badly hurt. And now you're telling me you let him go? Have you lost your mind?!" he cried.

"You know him! You know he wouldn't stop. I experienced this with Clint. It's his choice, Tony. We're not going to stop him from doing that. You should understand that. Especially you."

"What does that mean?"

"Oh, come on! Especially you who always did things your way. You're stubborn as much as he is. I know you don't want to hear it, but you're pretty similar."

"You signed, Nat," he reminded her.

"Yeah, but I told you the conditions aren't ideal. You were right, okay? Rhodey was hurt because we were not in control. What happened is done. We won't change it anymore."

"Ross keeps bothering me. He wants to know what happened," Tony said, turning his gaze back to the window. This was another test. He had to make decisions every day that didn't just affect him, and he was tired of it. All he wanted right now was a film marathon with his son.

"Am I a war criminal?" she asked, swallowing a sob. She would definitely not cry. It wasn't in her nature. Though with Tony and Clint, she wasn't far from that sometime.

"Don't be ridiculous. I would have lied if I said that you didn't hurt me when you picked Rogers instead of me, but I'd hate to see my son spend time with a war criminal," he said, and Nat gave him a startlingly look. If he mentioned Peter, she knew she could still atone for what she had done.

"I will not apologize for what I did, but you should know that it was not the choice between him and you, but what was the best. Clint's always the first, but you're always the second, Tones. I don't make an aunt to random children," she explained with a small smile.

"Before you arrived, Friday gave me some information. I don't say that easily, but it seems Captain was right. Do you know where he is?" he asked, ignoring her last claim. Both never solved their feelings with joy. She sometimes wondered how they actually became friends.

"Will you go after him?"

"I'd like to, I'm still pissed off of this situation, but I think he'll probably need my help, so if you were so kind…"

"They were going to Siberia, as far as I know."

"Well, that couldn't be better, would it?" he said sarcastically.

"Oh, it could be better if the freak activates those soldiers Steve talked about," she smirked.

"It's a really busy day. And I keep going. This doesn't change anything, Nat. We'll have to talk about it when I get back, okay? I know that both of us are not talking about feelings much, but I think that would really help us this time."

"Okay."

"Watch Rhodey for me, yeah? Pepper and Peter should arrive, so you'll have company. And I should get out really fast because I wouldn't be able to look at my dear Pepper right now," he said as they both made their way to the front door.

"Don't kill Steve, okay? And don't worry, you'll overcome it with Pepper and you'll be back together soon," she said and she patted him on the back in a friendly manner.

"I can't promise that, and you know it," he said with a grin and then sighed. "I hope you're right," he said as he opened the door where a surprise awaited him.

"Dad!" Peter exclaimed enthusiastically and immediately hugged him.

"Pete, you are here sooner than I would have expected," he said, surprised and hugged him back.

"Yeah, Happy broke a few speed laws, but don't tell him I told you," he laughed, pulling away from him to look at him. It seemed that the little time he spent with the Avengers did not improve his mood much. "What happened to your eye?"

"Oh, this. Just a little fight with a super soldier," he answered simply, looking at Nat.

"And where is my hug from my little spider?" she asked, smiling to distract him.

"Auntie Nat! I missed you," he said with a smile and his father was abandoned immediately. Normally he would make an ironic comment, but now he really needed to disappear. The problem was that another person stood in the doorway.

"Uh, hi, Pep," he murmured, trying to avoid eye contact.

"Are you going anywhere?" she asked, slightly disappointed, instead of greeting.

"Actually, yes, it's even more of a mess than it was," he sighed.

"Well, come back soon, okay? I think it is time we all took a break and returned home. Like a family," she said, and he finally looked at her.

"Really?" he asked hopefully.

"It will take time to get back to normal, but I want all three of us to be together again. Now go," she said with a small smile and stepped back from his path. Tony gave her a last look before he activated his suit and headed to Siberia. He seemed to have a lot of talking about feelings when he came back, which he didn't quite like. But there were people for whom he would do anything. Especially now that everything is falling apart. If he had to talk with Natasha about their feelings to overcome this Accords thing, he would. And it was clear that he would do anything for Pep to return home. So he'll take a break. He takes care of this last thing and then evaporates for a few months. A pause benefits him.

"Where did he go?" asked Peter, who for a moment left his beloved aunt and returned to Pepper.

"I don't really know. Why don't you spend your free time with Nat and I'll go find out about Rhodey's operation, okay?"

"Okay, it sounds good to me, mom," he said, heading back to Nat before she could say anything else. Pepper went to the hospital wing while Peter and Natasha went to his room.

"So, Pepper is a mom now?" she teased as the door closed behind them.

"When wasn't she? We just made it official now. Dad doesn't know anything yet about it because of their pause," he murmured and sat on the bed. Natasha watched him in silence for a moment (just as she had before with Tony) before she sat down at the table.

"How are you?" she asked simply. She knew the last few months hadn't been the best, and now to all this Rhodey was hurt. She was worried about him.

"It was better," he whispered.

"Can I do something for you? You know I hate to see you down like that."

"Can you tell me what's going on here?"

"Nice try, but you know I can't," she replied.

"Why?"

"It's complicated, you wouldn't understand."

"Of course," he snorted. "You know what? I've heard this sentence so often in the last few days that I'm really tired of this. Maybe I'm too young to be a hero, but I'm not a kid! I am fifteen for Christ's wounds, " he retorted. "What did you do when you were fifteen?!"

"You definitely can't compare that. I was brought up to kill. You didn't." _And thank God for that._

"What happened to Uncle Rhodey?" he asked, wiping away the tears that had accumulated in his eyes. This was pretty shit, and she hated her nephew being part of it.

"He got hit in Germany," she replied simply.

"Really?" he asked sarcastically. "I already knew, so why don't you give me more than this."

"We're having control problems, Pete. We want to make the world a better place, but sometimes we fail. We can't always save everyone. And people hate us for it. They no longer see the good we do, but just how much damage we have left. So, it was either the end of the Avengers, or we will obey."

"Thaddeus Ross," he muttered rather to himself. He had contacted his father for weeks. Now he knows why.

"Yeah, Thaddeus Ross came and made us an offer. He called it the Sokovia Accords. Someone signed and some of us didn't."

"And you?"

"I did. I didn't mean to, but I did. Ross is not the leadership we need, but so far it was our only way."

"So what happened?"

"Steve's old friend came up and everything went to hell. We split into two teams. We should have brought Steve and the others to Ross. We didn't expect it to go smoothly, but we didn't expect it to turn into a real fight where there were no inhibitions. Steve and Bucky escaped. Rhodey went after them and Sam after him. Vision wanted to hit Sam, but he dodged and hit Rhodey. His system shut down and Rhodey crashed at big speed from a height. Both Sam and Tony tried to catch him, but they were too slow," she explained.

"But how did they manage to escape?" he asked, confused, and Natasha swallowed hard. These Stark men were really her weakness.

"I kind of let them run," she said in a firm voice.

"Oh, sorry, I guess I heard badly because I thought you said you let them run. But that would mean Rhodey's accident is up to you," he snapped.

"Вы должны успокоиться. Your dad knows about it. It wasn't ideal, I admit, but it turned out that Steve was right. With the profession we do, you must always count on the risk of injury."

"Don't tell me to calm down. I can't believe I still advised Dad to stick to your side. How could you betray him?! And please, don't bullshit me with 'the risk of injury'."

"Не будь королевой драмы. Твой отец не святой," she started to speak Russian because it was more comfortable for her in those moments, and Peter was perhaps the only one here who spoke Russian. Thanks to her and her teaching.

"Поверь мне, я это очень хорошо знаю. Do you think I worship him blindly? I know about all his mistakes. But he's still my dad who always made sure I was fine. And I want to do the same in return. I thought he'd be fine with you, Nat. I trusted you."

"I understand that there is a lot of it now. You should let it go through your head. The world is not just black and white and you know that. Я никогда не собирался тебя разочаровывать."

"Но это так. Can you leave me alone?" he asked, but they both knew it wasn't a question, more like announcing that he didn't want to see his aunt right now.

"As you wish. I'll tell Pepper to let you know when there's news about Rhodey," she said before leaving his room.


	3. Like father, like son

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter gets his first chance to try the suit.

"Well, that's about it, isn't it? Goodbye walking," Rhodey sighed as the doctor left the room.

"I'm sure we'll find a solution, Uncle Rhodey," said Peter, sitting on his left. Pepper, on the other hand, was sitting across from him.

"Peter's right, you've always been a warrior, perhaps you won't give up now," Pepper said with a small smile.

"I don't know if you missed the fact that I have almost no feeling in my legs because it's hard to fix."

"Yeah, but it's not impossible. We won't give up on you, and when Dad gets back, we'll start working on something."

"You're my favorite nephew, you know that?" Rhodey laughed.

"I mean, I'm kind of your only nephew, so it's really not that hard," he snorted. Rhodey just rolled his eyes at him.

"So, where is everyone? Do you know what happened after I fell?" he asked, turning to Pepper because he was expecting an answer from her, but before she could say anything, Peter spoke.

"From what Natasha said, Captain America and his friend ran away. She's here, my dad has gone somewhere, and I don't know anything about the rest," he replied, and Rhodey gently frowned at the boy's address to Natasha. He rarely addressed her by her full name. Mostly it was Nat or Aunt Nat. He looked at Pepper again with a question in his eyes.

"They had a fight," she murmured, and he nodded.

"About what?"

"She confessed to letting them escape," he snapped.

"Well, that makes sense," he said, and Peter looked at him in confusion. Rhodey wasn't very close to Natasha, but he knew that the Accords didn't quite suit her, and he was actually quite surprised that she had signed.

"How can you be so calm about it?! She is responsible for what happened to you!" he cried, earning two surprised looks.

"Peter!" Pepper said in shock. She didn't know what he and Nat had argued about, but she noticed that it hurt Natasha. And if Peter accused her of what had happened, she understood her feelings.

"Nothing like that, kid! What happened was an accident and Nat didn't play a part in it. Just letting them escape doesn't mean they wouldn't escape anyway. We all fought for something there. I signed and I don't regret it. And I don't want to hear any accusations from you anymore, okay?"

"But-"

"I made myself clear, Peter. And I expect you to apologize to Aunt Nat. I'm sure your dad will support me when he gets back."

"I just don't get it, Uncle Rhodey!" he said desperately. He could understand why his dad had been out of energy the last day. This was really a mess.

"Pete, honey, what do you not understand? Natasha made the decision that seemed right to her, and couldn't have guessed how it would develop. And as Rhodey said, just letting them escape doesn't mean they wouldn't escape anyway. It's the same as if your dad makes a mistake. It's like when Bruce and he decided to create Ultron. They did not plan to make him a murderous robot, but they did. You've never been so angry about it, so why don't you tell me what's really bothering you?" Pepper asked gently.

"It's just… Everything is different from that bite. I only really learned to use my new skills a few days ago. It was pretty difficult, but you all supported me and helped me. But then something happened with the Avengers and Aunt Nat and Uncle Rhodey had to go upstate. Then you left. For the first few days, I believed you had a lot of work to do, but then I knew it wasn't just for work. My dad was so stressed out and Thaddeus Ross kept calling him and asking for something. Then he finally told me the truth that you took a break and that he had to go upstate. So I told him to stick to Aunt Nat because I knew he needed more than Uncle Rhodey. I thought he would be fine with her, but then it all went wrong. You saw what he looked like! And now he's God knows where," he tried to explain his feelings.

"I know it wasn't easy lately, but it will be over soon. When your father shows up, we'll all return to the Tower. Me, Tony, you, Rhodey and Natasha. We decided that the pause would benefit all of us. What do you think?"

"I think it sounds really great, mom," he said with a small smile. After all, it was all he had wished for the last few days. Be together as a family. Like before.

"Wait a minute, how long have I been out, again?" Rhodey asked, whose presence had been forgotten for a moment.

"Just a few hours, why?" Peter replied.

"What do you mean why? You just called Pepper a mom. It wasn't a thing before all this happened," he explained.

"Actually, it was, we just didn't tell anyone. 

"Maybe we should let you rest," Pepper suggested, and Rhodey began to argue, but Peter wasn't listening. Something else caught his attention 

_ "Something's wrong with the boss." _

_ "Show me, Friday," Natasha said _

_ "He seems to be in distress and his levels of adrenaline and noradrenaline are very high," Friday said. _

_ "What does that mean? Is he angry or something?" _

_ "Probably yes. In the case of a fight, the activity of the sympathetic nervous system activates the organism, concentrates the blood in the skeletal muscles (thereby accelerating and strengthening possible muscle performance), and moves the currently unforgettable experiences to the periphery of consciousness. At the same time, the adrenal glands increasingly release the hormones adrenaline and noradrenaline, which also stimulate psychomotor activity." _

_ "But in that case it's normal, isn't it?" _

_ "It should be, but compared to statistics from other fights, these are different." _

_ "Different how?" _

_ "They're very strong. As one of the solutions, I suggest the fight is personal." _

_ "Oh, Tony, what's going on there?" Natasha muttered to herself. _

Peter had to admit it was a bit weird, but as Natasha said in the fight, there is a natural elevated level of adrenaline. So it didn't have to mean anything at all. 

_ "Can you show me his current stats?" _

_ "Unfortunately I can not." _

_ "How come you can't?" she asked, confused. _

_ "The suit is offline." _

_ "That's not possible," Natasha protested. _

_ "The main power source was destroyed." _

_ "Shit. Prepare my flight plan and upload it to autopilot. I'll leave in five minutes." _

Peter frowned, trying not to panic. His father was alone somewhere and could be hurt. He glanced at Pepper and Rhodey, who were talking about something and ignoring him. By pressing a button on his very smart watch he connected to Friday and found out that his father was in Siberia. He vaguely examined other files from today and found something in super soldiers. Natasha was great, he never doubted it, but she would never be enough for super soldiers.

"I have to go to the bathroom," he said, disappearing outside the door before anyone could say anything. Pepper gave the door a tormented expression that Rhodey had not missed. 

"He'll be fine, Pepper," he said. 

"I know he will. He's as strong as Tony, but I wish they didn't have to worry so much." 

"Well, you know what they say. Like father, like son," he laughed lightly. Sometimes they were almost frighteningly similar. 

"I don't know if that's the case, it's good," she sighed. Rhodey wanted to say something, but before he could do it, an alarm went off in the building. 

"Unauthorized takeoff," Friday reported over and over. 

"What's happening?" Rhodey asked, and at that moment the hospital room door opened and Natasha ran in. 

"Please tell me Peter wasn't on that plane," she blurted. 

"What do you mean Peter was on that plane?" Pepper asked, panicking. 

"Pepper, this is really bad, but I need you to keep calm. Tony flew to Steve and Bucky to Siberia, and Friday announced his suit was offline a few minutes ago. I let her prepare a flight plan, and as I was about to come to the plane, alarm dropped. Where is Peter?" 

"Friday, where Peter?" Pepper asked. 

"Peter left the building, and before doing so, hacked my resources and read the boss's files." 

"Like father, like son, right?" Rhodey smirked, and Pepper gave him a murderous look. 

"I swear to God that someday these two will be my death! Nat, tell me you'll bring my son and fiancé back here." 

"I mean, I would like to, but I have a little problem here. Steve stole Quinjet and this was our second and only plane. I have nothing here," she explained. 

"Friday prepare the flight plan from Tower to here and load it into Tony's helicopter."

"Done, boss lady."

"Thank you. So, you will have a ride here in five minutes. Please take care of them." 

"Always," she said with a small smile and disappeared from the room. 

(…) 

Peter took his backpack in his room and ran to the plane. If Aunt Nat kept her schedule (and that she would always keep it), he had two minutes left before she appeared on the plane. Natasha set up the autopilot so it wasn't that hard. He just sat down and pressed the start button. 

Friday was not connected to the plane, which was good for him, because otherwise, she would have prevented him from departing. Peter took the headphones out of his backpack and put them in his ears before pressing the special button on his watch. 

"Good afternoon, Peter." 

"Hello, Karen," Peter said, and he didn't resist the little grin regardless of the situation. That's right. With the help of Friday coding, Peter created his own AI. He simply took the written code for Friday and just edited something. 

"What can I do for you?" 

"Well, we have our first chance to try a suit." 

So maybe he agreed to be a hero under the supervision of his dad, but while his dad had to deal with Accords, he was engaged in making his own suit and everything he needed for hero work. He would have liked to test it in a situation other than saving his father, but he has to work with what he has. 

"Suit testing in progress," she said as soon as he put on the suit. 

"Mainly check the heating. Siberia will probably be very cold." 

"Everything okay. The suit is ready for action if you are." 

"Like never before," he said, preparing for landing. He checked the statistics of Friday again to find out his dad's last position. If there was a group of super soldiers waiting for him, he would not like to spend more time there than was necessary. 

The plane landed and Peter took a deep breath. Here we go. He uploaded the statistics to Karen, so he clung to it and went straight to where his dad was just before his suit turned off. He walked past some cells where there were people who had a bullet in their heads. So he guessed that the super soldiers were no longer dangerous. But what then happened to his dad? 

By location, he was almost out again, but then he found him. And the sight wasn't nice. 

"Oh my God, Dad!" he yelled and ran to him. 

"Pe-te? Is tha-t you?" he rasped. 

"Yes, I found you. Karen, identify the wound," he said, examining his suit. There was a line across the arc reactor. 

"It looks like a closed pneumothorax," Karen said. 

"What does it mean?" he asked, wondering what might have happened here. 

"Lung collapse due to breakage of the lung wall, for example with a broken rib," she explained, and Peter's breath caught. Now he had no way to panic. 

"Cause?" 

"Blunt punch or pressure on the chest wall." 

"Like a big shield?" he asked when he finally noticed that there was no one but Captain America's shield beside his father. 

"Pete?" 

"Yeah, I'm here, Dad. Let me help you," he said, grabbing his arm to help him sit down. 

"Wait, wait, wait... I can't move," he said, taking a deep breath before his face twisted in pain. 

"It seems you need extra hands," another person said. And Peter almost began to cry with relief. 

"Yes, please. He has something with his lungs." 

"It's going to be okay. We'll take him on a plane and secure him there before we reach the upstate." 

"Okay, and Aunt Nat?" 

"Yeah?" 

"Thank you." 

"Always, Pete, always," she said with a small smile, and then they took Tony to the plane together.


	4. My son hit Rogers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter was angry. And he was even angrier when he found Steve Rogers standing in his kitchen. So he hit him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it. End. I hope you enjoyed the story as much as I did! I apologize to Captain America fans, please don't hate me.

_ Peter stood in the living room, holding Captain America's shield in his hands.  He looked around the room and his eyes glowed gently as he saw his dad sitting on the couch. _

_ "Dad!" he shouted and walked toward him. But he was still sitting motionlessly on the couch, and Peter frowned. Something was wrong. _

_ "Hello, boy," someone spoke behind his back, and then the person put a hand on his shoulder. Peter turned and felt a startling fear when the person behind him was the only and one Steve Rogers. _

_"Dad!" he cried again this time but in a warning tone. He wanted to run after him, but suddenly he couldn't move._

_"I'm looking for this," Captain America said with a smile, pulling the shield from his hands._

_"NO!" he shouted. He couldn't turn, so he stood with his back to them. But in the reflection of the glass door from the closet, he could see exactly what was happening. Captain America pressed his shield against his dad's arc reactor, and he realized his dad wasn't wearing a suit, but he still had a reactor in his chest. Which meant he would die if Steve destroyed it and he couldn't quickly find a new one._

_ With horror in his eyes, he noticed a light in the reactor went out, and his father closed his eyes. The smile did not disappear from the Captain's face for a second. _

_ "He was your friend!" he sobbed. "How could you do that to him?!" _

_ "Вы должны проснуться," Steve said as he stood before him again. Peter frowned and wiped a tear from his face. Since when did Captain America speak Russian? _

_ "Вы должны проснуться, маленький паук,“ he said again, and Peter frowned even more. That's what Aunt Nat called him. _

"You're all right, you're all right," Aunt Nat comforted him as he sat upon the bed, looking confusedly around the room.

"Dad?" he gasped as he remembered that he was in the Tower with Nat and had only a nightmare. Again.

"He's fine, just like you. Do you want me to have Friday call him?"

"That's go-od. It's h-is date nig-ht with mo-m," he murmured, trying to catch his breath.

"Полегче, маленький паук," she said gently and ran her hand through his curls.

"I'm trying."

"Just listen to my heartbeat. You have improved hearing for that," she advised him.

"Oh, o-kay," he murmured and concentrated only on his aunt and her heartbeat.

"There you are," she said with a small smile as he managed to control his breathing again.

"Спасибо."

"Это не хорошо, маленький паук. So, Tony mentioned something about your nightmares, and that you don't want to tell anyone about it," she began, and Peter sighed.

"Great, so you won't take it personally if I don't even talk to you about it," he tried.

"I understand that it was a terrible experience, but it has been three months already. Tony was in perfect order after a month and your nightmares should slowly retreat and not to appear more often," she said.

"I don't know if you're the right person to talk to," he whispered.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I know you're still defending him."

"Yeah, it's called the presumption of innocence, маленький паук."

"What do you need more to believe that Captain America is behind this? You saw that shield there.  And the damage that Dad had on his suit," he said aloud lightly. He apologized to her after Siberia, but this topic was their forbidden territory. They have always argued about it.

"Не повышай свой голос для меня."

"Sorry, you know I didn't want to scream. I just don't understand why you don't believe it. In my dreams, it looks frighteningly real."

"Tony never told anyone except Bruce, what happened there. And you know your uncle Bruce, he won't tell anyone what Tony and he were talking about. So we don't know what happened. And the Accords turned out very badly, I don't dismiss it, but I know Steve. He's too good. Somehow I can't imagine him doing this to your dad,” she explained.

"You  all  always told me I was too innocent and naive for this world. Теперь я начинаю думать, что ты наивный."

"Может быть, я. If you're right, you can be sure Steve won't just get out of it like that. My killer days are over, but I can give him a few hits," she smirked.

"I will remember this promise. Now I should probably try to fall asleep because in a few hours I will have a test in Spanish and you know how bad I am at it. I will need to have as many of my brain cells as possible," he laughed and lay down.

"This wouldn't happen if you chose Russian," she teased.

"There was no choice," he murmured sleepily before closing his eyes and falling asleep within seconds.

"Спокойной ночи, маленький паук."

(...)

"I'm home!" Peter shouted into the penthouse.

"Good afternoon, Peter. Your parents are at a meeting that will end in twenty minutes," Friday said.

"Oh, okay. Aunt Nat?" he asked, heading straight into the kitchen.

"In the gym. There's a family film marathon tonight where you'll see her."

"Uncle Rhodey is still in Washington?"

"According to recent reports, yes."

"Thank you."

Rhodey went to Washington as soon as he learned to use the prostheses that he and his dad had made. There was some work ahead of him, but he should be back at the weekend and Peter couldn't wait. In the three months, he had become accustomed to the day-to-day company not only of his parents but also of his uncle and aunt. Parents worked time while he was at school and tried to be together as much as possible in the afternoon. Like a family.

"Oh hello," someone greeted him as he reached the kitchen.

Peter raised his head and for a few seconds found himself back in Siberia with his injured father when he saw a very real Captain America in front of him.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, keeping his eyes on him.

"I came to visit Tony. Friday let me in."

"Well, maybe we should talk to Friday that she shouldn't let the killers to our home," he said sarcastically, and Steve frowned.

"There must be some misunderstanding," he said, and Peter snorted.

"Misunderstanding, okay. You know what? In the gym lessons, we are playing your videos, and I have enough of how everyone thinks you're holy. Apparently a hero. Maybe I should try to break through your lungs too, but I'm sure you would recover in a few days. Some people aren't super soldiers like you, you know? Some people could simply die," he snapped.

"Who are you?" Steve asked, confused. During his nightmares, Peter could never move to prevent a man in front of him from killing his dad.

But now he could.

And he will definitely move.

"Hopefully, your new nightmare," he said, and before Captain America managed to respond, Peter simply jumped over the counter and rolled him to the ground.

"What's gotten into you, boy?" he asked in surprise, grabbing his hands so Peter couldn't hit him. He had to admit that he was really strong, but because of the bite, Peter could cope with the force. "You have to calm down, I don't want to hit you."

"Oh, suddenly you have moral inhibitions. I'm surprised. But leaving your friend in Siberia after you've broken his lungs is okay, right? Are you aware that he may have died? You almost killed my father! My only blood relative. Yeah, that is right. Tony Stark is my father," he said angrily, freeing himself from his grip. Steve was so surprised he couldn't even react and Peter hit him hard in the face. He wanted to hit him again, but by then Steve had recovered and was faster.

"Боже мой! Did you just hit a 15-year-old boy?!" Nat shouted, suddenly appearing in the kitchen. They both stood up quickly and looked at the incoming person. Nat was still wearing gym clothes, so Peter assumed she was alerted by Friday.

"But he hit me first."

"What the fuck, Steve? Will you really tell me this?"

"Well, when we are all here, we could finally learn what happened in Siberia, wouldn't we?" Peter suggested.

"Вы должны остановиться, паучки малышей. Эта ярость не годится для тебя."

"Ты боишься правды?" he asked, and Natasha sighed.

"No, I'm not afraid of the truth. I'm worried about you. This rage and resentment must stop.  It's not good for you. That's why the nightmares keep on you. So, Steve, please tell us what happened in Siberia," she said, and even the last sentence was addressed to Steve,  she didn't move her gaze from Peter.

"Tony didn't tell you?" Steve said in surprise.

"No," Natasha said simply.

"So how did the boy know?"

"Wait, what? Peter was right all the time? Are you crazy? What did you think you were doing?!"

"I didn't know he had a son!"

"This is no fucking excuse! He was your friend, how could you leave him there? Especially after you thrust your shield in his chest?"

"It was complicated."

"Of course it was. And when is it not?" she snorted.

"Is Tony here? I want to talk to him," he said as if they hadn't talked about what he'd done a few seconds ago.

"Oh, you won't talk to my dad," Peter said sharply.

"I think it's Tony's decision, not yours, boy."

"He's right, I think you better leave. We're fine and we don't need any more drama. Not at least now," she said before Peter could say anything.

"If you wish. I know when I'm not welcome somewhere," he said and started walking toward the exit, but as she passed Natasha, she spoke again.

"There's one more thing."

"And it is?" he asked, stopping in front of her.

" Я сдерживаю свои обещания, "  she said in Russian, which Steve couldn't understand. Then she reached out and with all the  strength she had hit him in the face.

"Okay, I guess I deserved it," he said, holding his hand to the injured spot on his face.

"Goodbye, Steve," she said, and Steve gave her a last look before he left.

"You know, despite my anger at him, I'm sorry I was right after all," Peter said after a moment of silence.

"It's all right,  маленький паук . It was just nice to believe that Steve was really such a good man that he wouldn't do it," she explained, giving him a small smile.

"Oh God, what is wrong with your eye?" Pepper asked, shocked as Tony and she walked into the kitchen.

"Nothing," Peter said quickly.

"It's swollen and purple," she said worriedly. 

"It's really nothing, mom. It'll be gone tomorrow morning," he murmured, hugging her to stop her looking at him, and because her hugs had always made him feel safe. Only now had he fully realized what had happened in the last twenty minutes.

"Nat, did you hit my son?" Tony joked. 

"Of course not, Tones. But your buddy Steve did," she said, and the atmosphere in the room deteriorated considerably.

"There were a few mistakes in the sentence you just said. Rogers and I are not friends. And what-" he said but he was interrupted.

"And why is that? Because he tried to kill you and you didn't tell us!" Nat snapped.

"Did he really hit you?" Pepper asked, not surprised at the fact that Steve had tried to kill Tony.

"Yeah, but I hit him first," Peter smirked and Pepper sighed.

"That's it. You and your father won't come near him anymore."

"Wait, you hit him first?" Tony asked in surprise.

"Well, what was I supposed to do? I was so upset!"

"Oh, you heard that. My son hit Rogers," Tony laughed, and Peter swore he heard the pride in his tone. The two of them were never the best friends, but they were friends. At least until the event in Siberia. And they teased each other all the time.

"Tony, that's not something you should praise him for," Pepper rebuked him.

"Why not?"

"I'm more interested in how you knew it was Steve in Siberia," Nat said before Pepper could give Tony a lecture that praising their son for hitting someone was wrong.

"I saw the tape from Tony's suit and then let Friday erase it to make sure none of you could get to it," Pepper replied.

"You still surprise me, Miss Potts," Tony joked.

"Once we're all here, can we start our movie marathon sooner?" Peter asked.

"Good idea. I ordered a pizza on the way out of the meeting," Tony agreed.

"I'm just going to change. Don't you dare start without me," Nat said, still dressed for exercise.

"I'm going to change, too," Pepper said, examining Peter's eye one last time. "Put ice on it, honey."

"Yes, mom. I love you, mom."

"I love you too, Pete," she said and kissed his forehead before she disappeared from the kitchen.

"I love you too, son," Tony smirked.

"Don't be jealous, Dad," he laughed and walked over to him to hug him.

He knew that nightmares wouldn't just leave him, but his Aunt Nat was right. The rage was not good for him and he had to say that he felt much better after hitting Captain America.

**Author's Note:**

> English is not my native language, so I apologize for the mistakes.


End file.
